Unexpected Friendship
by Akinai
Summary: Something unexpected happens when the two most unlikely people cross paths after Rin is attacked by a demon. Kagome and Sesshomaru are about to get the surprise of a lifetime when a bond begins to grow that is far from an enemy, and perhaps even more?
1. Chapter 1

Unexpected Friendship

Chapter One

By: Akinai

---

_Snap! _

_Crackle! _

_Crunch!_

_**BOOM!**_

"AHH!" screamed the young girl as she ran for dear life. "Stay away from me!"

A loud roar echoed from behind her, snapping and snarling as it pursued its prey. It would not let her escape, that much was certain. Its wide bounds, moving heavily across the forest floor made it almost impossible for her little body to control the balance it took to stand against the hard shaken earth. She tripped, stumbled and fell as she made her escape despite the gnawing pain her legs and arms gave her.

Unfortunately she wouldn't be able to keep herself at this pace for much longer. She was growing tired, and her legs were beginning to hurt. It would only be a matter of time before the monster caught up to her, with its long legs, and teeth filled mouth. If only she had stayed near, like she was supposed to…

The ground rumbled as she was brought out of her thoughts, before a menacing growl took place behind her. She screamed, trying to move faster, but only found herself slipping from the rubble at her feet. She groaned as her body connected with the earth, sending a wave of pain throughout her arms and legs.

There was no way that she was going anywhere now. With no place to hide, and her body too tired to get up, she was a sitting duck, and she knew the monster knew this. She was almost positive that it was right behind her too, with its hot breath breathing down on her tiny body.

She slowly turned her head to see, her body trembling as she feared for herself and what she would see. Her eyes widened, fear consuming her completely as the beast stood on all fours behind her. A whimper escaped the girl, not realizing just how massive this thing was, and how it resembled what she feared most.

It snarled at her, its body crouching as it prepared to leap. The girl screamed, her hands coming over her head as she thought of the one person she knew would save her.

"LORD SESSHOMARU!!"

The beast pounced.

---

Now, Kagome was never one to complain… at least not much anyway. But today… today was just really ticking her off. So far, they've managed to slay at least five demons, with _no_ luck of finding any jewel shards. How on earth, is that even possible?!

They happen to go through more than one battle in a day and without any shards no less. How incredibly unlucky is that!? Then, to top it all off, Inuyasha was being rather crabby about it. He was complaining the whole time, _why_ she wasn't able to find a jewel shard, and _why_ were there so many demons coming after them.

Well, first, if she knew why so many demons were coming, then they wouldn't be having this problem. Second, the only reason for not being able to find a jewel shard is because there _was _no jewel shard, not because she was lacking with her miko abilities. How difficult can it be to figure that one out? He obviously wanted something to complain about, otherwise he wouldn't be yapping the way he was.

She sighed. '_If only it hadn't been around breakfast when this all started to happen._'

They had been eating when a large snake demon decided to slink its way into camp, and smash everything. It had been looking for the jewel shards, not that that was anything new, but they took care of it sure enough. By the time they were done, their little camp was in nothing but shambles. It was a nightmare, especially to clean up.

Inuyasha wasn't happy about it either since his bowl of ramen lay strewn across the filthy dirt. That was where his attitude began. When they all had packed up, and left their destroyed camp, they were yet again attacked by another shard obsessed demon. It was a bear demon that time, and proved to be a little more difficult than the snake, but they managed.

Later on, towards the afternoon, they were again attacked by a bird demon, which took them longer to defeat because it was so high up. Inuyasha and Sango were the ones to defeat it. He began complaining about it too. About how she needed to improve her archery and how slow she was. That was the beginning of her, own irritation beyond the jewel shards.

When they took a break an hour later, a boar demon came scrambling in their direction, squealing and huffing as they ate lunch, or tried to. It was easier that time, and since Inuyasha was getting tired of having his food all over the place, he decided he wanted to take the pig with them. It was too heavy of course, but they did scrape off a few slabs of meat for later on that night.

In the late afternoon, as they drew closer towards the mountain side, they came across an ogre, and that was definitely rough. They had barely won that one, considering how tired they were from all the previous battles. She nearly got her head swiped right off, but Inuyasha had stepped in. She was lucky, but not lucky enough when he started to snap at her about it.

"I _told_ you to stay out of the way!" he had shouted at her.

She, not one to back down, decided to respond. "Who says I'm in the way?!" she said, folding her arms. "I'm only trying to help, Inuyasha!"

"Feh." He folds his arms. "The only thing you're helping with is putting yourself in danger!"

"Yeah, like I _asked_ for that demon to come after me," she said a bit sarcastically while tapping her foot impatiently. "At least no one got hurt!"

Inuyasha growled, his hands balling into fists as they came to his sides. "If I hadn't jumped in when I did, you'd be dead!"

"Come now guys," said Miroku as he stepped in between them, not wanting this to get any worse. "There's no need to fight, we're all safe and that's what matters, right?" He looked at Kagome, knowing she'd agree before he turned his attention to Inuyasha.

His ears twitched, his head turned stubbornly away. "Well, Inuyasha?"

He looked at Kagome, who then looked at him, pleading with her eyes. He huffed, turning away. "Yeah, whatever," he said. The miko smiled. "Now let's go before it gets dark."

That was the _only_ time he decided to stop their bickering until now, as the sun was going down. They hadn't found any jewel shards still, and he decided since they weren't getting anywhere, that he was going to make everybody miserable, especially Kagome. It was all her fault for not being able to sense any jewels, at least that's how she feeling when he refused to stop complaining.

It was beyond her why he refused to think of other options, but Miroku and Sango didn't seem to care, or that they weren't paying attention. It was amazing how they were able to block him out so easily, while she could hear him loud and clear, practically screaming about their misfortune.

Kagome sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Things were becoming stressful, and if they didn't find a jewel shard soon, then she's more than likely going to pop out her frustration.

A loud scream brought the miko from her thoughts as she stopped in place. "Huh?" She turned herself to the trees, her eyes roaming through the darkness. "What was that?"

The others stopped too, and became very quiet as they listened.

"_AHH! Stay away from me_!" the voice screamed.

"It sounds like a girl," spoke Sango in a worrisome tone as she looked at Miroku, who looked at her.

"Where is it coming from?" spoke the little fox kit as he stood atop the houshi's shoulder.

Inuyasha turned his nose to the air, sniffing out the location. "I'm not sure…" he mumbled, turning to his right. "But it seems… to be coming over here." He nodded towards the trees Kagome had been staring at.

She looked at him, worry creasing her brow. "I wonder who it could be," she whispered.

"I'm not sure," he said, curling his nose. "But whoever it is, a demon is not far from behind."

"What?!" shouted Kagome surprised. "You mean there's a demon chasing a little girl?!"

He shrugged, turning back on the path. "Yeah, seems like it."

The miko gaped. "Inuyasha!" she scolded. "We've got to help her! We can't just leave her alone, it would be cruel!"

"No way!" he snapped without so much as a glance back. "I've had enough demons for one day. I don't need any more if they're not even worth my time to go looking for them."

"But Inuyasha--!" started the miko before a tug at her soul drew her back. She gasped, turning back to the trees. '_A jewel shard…_'

"What now?" he said a bit irritated as he turned to her, the others looking as well. She was staring directly into the trees now, her face alight in surprise as she stood planted to her spot. He recognized that look…

"_AHH!_" came the scream from before, before the miko launched herself through the trees.

Inuyasha stood surprised for a moment, a bit shocked at how quick Kagome was to react to the child's desperate cries. Of course, she was going after the jewel too. That was why she was in such hurry, right? He hoped so.

As he turned towards the group, the hanyou nudged his head to where the miko had left. "Lets go," he said, before he and the others followed after.

---

It was probably not the most rational thing Kagome could've done, not that she had much choice to begin with, but it was the best thing she could think of at the time. She had to find that little girl, and get to her before that demon did, that was her main goal. Then, if she could manage to get a good shot, she could get the shard, no problem. Her only hope was that the demon was not clever enough to outwit her. It wouldn't be good if she ran into a demon with a two scents.

A tug at the miko's soul pulled her out of her thoughts. '_I'm close…_' she realized before drawing out her bow and knocking it with an arrow. '_I better hurry!_'

Kagome sped up, running faster than she thought she could as the tug grew stronger the closer she became. It was then that the ground began to rumble, a vicious snarl rolling through the air followed by the softest of whimpers. '_They're just beyond those trees!'_

"_LORD SESSHOMARU!!_" screamed the young girl, before the miko burst through the shrub and fired.

The arrow soared, glowing with a pink reminiscing light until it hit its target. The demon howled at the searing pain until it was thrown back against the trees behind it. Kagome smiled at her small victor before turning her attention to the reason she came there. The little thing was curled up on the ground in fright, her body trembling as she waited for the end she wasn't going to get.

The miko ran up beside her, immediately dropping to her knees as she inspected the little one for any injuries. She frowned. Her knees were bloody, as well as her shins, and her arms were no better either, telling by the bruises. Kagome hesitantly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. She whimpered, her body trembling a few octaves.

"It's okay," she gently shushed her. "I'm here to help you."

The girl slowly opened her eyes, her arms moving in unison before she looked at the older girl. The miko smiled. "Are you alright?" The young one didn't respond as she sat up, her eyes scanning the area before resting on the fallen demon.

Kagome followed her gaze. "It's alright," she said. "You don't have to be afraid anymore." The younger girl looked to the older one. "It should be out for the moment. I made sure of that." She smiled, turning her gaze back to the little one. "But we probably shouldn't stay here much longer. It could wake up, and--?!"

A startled expression came across the miko's face as the young girl latched herself around her waist and began to sob into the older girl's shirt. Kagome frowned before she wrapped her arms around her and soothed her comfortingly on the back. "There now, you're okay," she encouraged. "Everything's fine—huh?"

"He… He didn't come…" the girl sobbed.

Kagome stared confused. "Who didn't come?"

The girl sniffed, her eyes looking up tearfully at the older girl. "My lord; Lord Sesshomaru..."

The miko stiffened at the mention of Inuyasha's half brother. She never expected his name to pop up, especially not from a little girl. Kagome looked at her, a bit unsure, her eyes scanning over the young one's face carefully before realization suddenly hit her. "Rin?"

Sniffing, the young girl nodded before lowering her head into the older one's chest. Kagome had to refrain from groaning. It was one of _those _days. Of course, it was already bad before, but this just takes the cake. Sesshomaru would _kill _her if he knew where his ward was, not that it was her fault, but he would surely put the blame with the child in her possession.

What was she doing in a place like this anyway? Doesn't she know it's dangerous?! She looked at Rin a bit confused. '_No, that's not right,_' she thought, frowning. _'Sesshomaru would never let her out his sight, let alone let her come to any harm.'_

Kagome looked towards the fallen demon, whose jewel shard was still imbedded in its body. Her brows furrowed. '_Then how come this demon was after her with Sesshomaru nowhere to be found?'_

A vicious snarl interrupted the miko's thoughts as the body of the large demon began to shift. "Oh crap…" she said while she tried scrambling onto her feet. The young girl groaned, bringing Kagome to look at her with concern. She was falling asleep.

'_Not good,_' she thought as she reached for her bow, while trying desperately to put her and the girl up right.

The demon had rolled onto all fours by then; shaking itself out from the nasty spill it had not a few short moments ago. It was beginning to make Kagome nervous. She had, after all, been the one to shoot it. Now with it being conscious and all, it would only be a matter of time before it spots them, and then they were done for.

She gulped, wishing she hadn't left her friends in a hurry. She could really use their help now. Kagome shifted in her spot, hoping against hope that it wouldn't hear them as her fingers danced on the brim of her bow. The girl groaned. Crap.

The demon's head shot up, looking feverishly around before directing its attention on Kagome and the girl in her arms. A menacing growl escaped from the giant beast, obviously remembering what happened earlier.

The miko's eyes widened. "This is not good," she said before grabbing her bow and hoisting the girl up in her arms. There was no way she planned on staying there for that thing to eat them. She wasn't too fond of being the main course of someone's meal, especially a demon's. They had sharp teeth.

A loud roar erupted from behind them as she took off sprinting, heavy footfalls trailing after as the demon followed in its chase. There wasn't a chance it was going to let them get away, it was much too mad for that, and Kagome knew this. Her only hope was that she was fast enough to outrun it, but from the looks of it, she wouldn't be getting too far.

The demon was _massive_. Its body was as big as the trees, maybe even bigger. It almost reminded her of the time when she last saw a four legged creature that size, but of course it wasn't the same. This one had its face matted with fur all the way down its chest. The rest of its body was sleek and sharp looking, the tail also being the same.

Its paws were also quite large, but held no claws that she could see, not that she had the chance. That was certainly a relief for sure, until you saw its mouth. It had rows and rows of extremely sharp teeth, good enough to tear you to shreds even, and that wasn't very comforting considering it was not so far behind.

The miko looked to prove her point when her legs were suddenly swept up from beneath her. She gasped, falling straight to the ground. Luckily she had adjusted herself so that she took the brunt of the fall, while Rin stayed safely out of harm's way. The contact did wake her up however, and she practically screamed having thought it was something else entirely. A dream no less.

This was not a dream however, and as soon as she realized this, a blood curdling scream was made. It practically made Kagome deaf, but she could see why when she opened her eyes and stared up at the demon that loomed just over them. She should've figured it had something to do with their little fall. It growled.

Kagome pressed Rin closer to her, who complied instantly as she buried her head into the older girl's chest. She wouldn't want her to see when the demon decided to shred them into tiny little pieces. No child should see such a thing in their final moments. It just wasn't right.

A wave of hot air assured her that there was no way of stopping the inevitable. They were going to get eaten and that was that. Just thinking about it made her shiver, little Rin following in her footsteps as they held on to one another. '_This must be the end_,' she thought, deciding now was the best time to close her eyes. '_We're really going to die._'

"Kagome!" A familiar voice shouted.

This caught the miko's attention almost immediately before she swiveled her head to see the red clad figure leap up from the trees. "Inuyasha!" she shouted surprised, watching as the demon was knocked off its feet.

Inuyasha turned to the raven haired girl, his hand on tessaiga. "Get out of here!" he snapped as he launched himself at his opponent. The demon snarled, getting onto its feet.

The miko was a little dumbfounded by this, and took her a second before she scrambled onto her own feet. She really didn't want to leave Inuyasha or the others to fight for her mistake. She was the one who took off running after all.

A rumble from the ground brought her from her wonderings as the demon tumbled over in her direction.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" shouted the hanyou. "Get going!"

Kagome gasped, and without another moment's thought, she began running. Unfortunately, the demon had noticed this, and instead of continuing its quarrel with its opponent, it retreated after the escaping miko. Inuyasha was going to have none of that.

"WINDSCAR!"

The ground tore open at the hanyou's feet as he brought tessaiga down to earth in a bright stream of light. It caused the ground to rumble, and the demon to stop in its pursuit as it turned its attention to the deadly wave behind it. Inuyasha was hoping for this, and while his opponent side stepped his attack, leaving itself completely open, he dashed to its side. The demon hadn't expected this of course, and when he turned his attention to the hanyou, tessaiga's fang tore open the flesh across its face and neck, leaving nothing but blood in its wake.

It gave a deafening cry, wailing uncontrollably from the pain before falling almost completely to the ground while it tried regaining balance. Inuyasha was pleased by this, because while the demon shook itself of the momentary pain, he looked to where Kagome had run off to, concern written on his face. '_I hope you're all right, Kagome,_' he thought, despite their earlier quarrel that day. '_Please, be careful._'

---

"Nee-san?" mumbled the girl in her arms. "Can we stop yet?"

Kagome looked down at Rin, who tightly clutched the front of her shirt as she continued on her long sprint through the dark forest. She hadn't realized how long they had been running it seems. The girl practically had a death grip on her, which would probably take a couple of minutes to try and pry the poor thing off of her. She supposed it was time to stop, at least for a moment.

Slowing down, the miko finally came to a stop before she and Rin took a breather. "There you go," she breathed, setting the girl on her feet. "Feel better?"

The young girl looked up with a nod. "Thank you," she said before straightening herself out. Kagome smiled. She was so polite.

Straightening herself out, Kagome thought it was best to take a look around while she caught her breath. Everything was so dark out, except for the moon which cracked above the trees; it was hard to tell where they were. It was the least she could do in their situation; they couldn't just stay out there forever, they had to get back to Inuyasha and the group. Which reminds her…

She looked behind her at the darkened path. Where were her friends? Hadn't Inuyasha taken care of that demon already? Now that she mentioned it, she didn't see Miroku or Sango when he was fighting, not to mention Shippo for that matter. Weren't they following him?

A tug at her shirt pulled her from her thoughts. "Nee-san?" spoke the little raven haired girl, her voice cracked with dryness. Kagome looked at her. "I'm getting thirsty."

The miko smiled. "Of course," she said, bringing hope the little girl's face. When she reached for her yellow bag, and found nothing but air, realization suddenly hit her.

"Oh no…" she frowned. "I think I dropped my bag back there with that demon." The girl frowned as well, and sighed an almost ragged sigh. She must've run for a long time if she sounded like that. If only she hadn't forgotten her bag.

_**SNAP!**_

Kagome and the girl froze. "What was that?" whispered the young one before a hand came over her mouth.

"Shhh!" said the miko as she looked around uneasily. Everything had grown very quiet in the past few moments that they had been standing there. There wasn't a single sound around except for their breathing, which was odd enough when you were in the middle of a forest.

_**SNAP!**_

Both girls gasped. Something was there. Kagome looked at the younger girl, who then looked at her. Had they been followed? The miko looked to the trees. But by whom, she wondered. The young girl drew herself closer.

Of course, there was the fact that a giant demon had been chasing them previously, and the fact they were in a forest in the middle of nowhere with other lurking demons; that could definitely be a reason for the unexplained noises. She hadn't thought of that. It didn't make any difference though. They weren't going to chance running; not that standing there would help them. It was more likely they would get caught if they brought attention to themselves, and that was something they both wouldn't want, she was sure.

So for now, she and Rin were going to stay there, at least until the coast was clear. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long; Inuyasha and the others were probably looking for them already. It wouldn't be good if they couldn't find them.

After a while of standing in complete silence, Kagome deemed it safe for the time being. It was lucky for them that a demon decided not to show up, not that she would have a problem she still had her bow after all.

"Is it gone?" little Rin asked, her voice timid and overwhelmed with dryness. The poor thing; she really needs some water.

"I think so," replied Kagome, scanning the place before turning her eyes on the girl. "But we probably shouldn't stay here much longer. It would be bad if another demon saw us, ne?"

The young girl nodded before taking the older one's hand as they began to walk. A deep growl stopped them short however, and Kagome, who was the first to notice the presence, turned to look. Sapphire met with red as she stared at the figure in the shadows. This was not good.

She took a step back. It growled, its eyes narrowing. This was definitely not good. Looking at Rin, and then at the seemingly recognizable being, Kagome picked the girl up in her arms before running like her life depended on it, which, in this case, was. The demon followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone, it's me!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who read, and reviewed my story! It's very much appreciated by this writer, and I'm glad to know that you're all enjoying it so far! 3~

I have made a few minor edits to Chapter 2 and Chapter 1, I hadn't realized how many mistakes I had till I read it late last night. D: lol Oh well, you still enjoyed it, and that's all that matters to me. So please, feel free to share with me what you think and what you believe the next chapter will be about. I'll be glad to hear it!

Thanks again, everyone! Until next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. Copyright Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

Unexpected Friendship

Chapter Two

By: Akinai

---

Silent footfalls moved across the moistened path, seemingly unnoticeable by ordinary ears as they walked in the midnight sky. A dark silhouette appeared upon earth's dusty land; the moon's light having brought it to life as it floated quietly to the river before them. It stopped, hovering just above two unconscious forms that lay on the river's rocky shore. Both of them were female; one a child, the other a woman.

The two of them were wet, obviously having fallen in the river at some point in time. They had been lucky to survive. Had it been someone else, they would have died drowning by the rivers current, and nothing good would come of that.

A thick aroma brought them from their musings before amber eyes darted to the human forms. They both appeared to be fine in their curled up positions, which was odd considering they were so close. One sniff of the air however, proved the blood didn't belong to them. No, it belonged to something far more putrid and disgusting. The smell was far to spoiled to even be considered a human's blood.

A sudden tug at their senses had warned them of a presence nearby. It seemed to be close, as for how close they weren't certain. The smell of the blood had gotten thicker, making it nearly impossible to determine where it was coming from despite their strong sense of smell. How irritating.

A shuffling of rocks brought their attention to the cliff tops as loose gravel fell into the river below. So they were being watched were they? Their eyes narrowed. Unfortunately their little game of spy was at its end.

Leaping to the top of the cliff, the area seemed pretty much abandoned as they swept the grounds. It didn't look like anybody had been there, but whatever it was, they had already gone, what an unfortunate turn of events for the dark being. They had hoped to have a chance at killing the creature, slowly, yet painfully, though it seems they would have to save that for later date, and hopefully in the near future?

Looking around, there didn't seem to be any type of evidence that indicated anybody had been there, the smell however, said otherwise. Gazing at their feet where the scent appeared to be the strongest, a dark puddle lay smeared across the dusty path in its dark contrast amongst the dirt. It appears that something had in fact been there, and from the looks of it, injured as well.

A clawed hand reached into the sticky syrup. It was still warm. It hadn't been long since the creature had been there. Perhaps it had known they were being sought after and fled its hiding place? In any case, there was something strange about this creature, something very unnatural about it. The smell of its blood was like rotting flesh or spoiled of meat; no creature ever smelt that way, at least not until they're dead.

Rubbing the wet texture between long fingers, a curious thought came to mind as he gazed at the red substance. Something had to have summoned the beast or at the very least, it was a wing bearer, though that was highly impossible if it had indeed taken flight. The thing would have left a trail behind to follow, whether by scent or by trail of blood, and no trail had been left by either from the looks of it. Which comes to the conclusion of who had summoned this thing, and why?

Turning back to the edge of the cliff, amber eyes sought the two humans below both of which were present and unharmed. If the creature had been after anything, it would have mostly likely been these two, and yet they remain untouched. Perhaps the beast's purpose was to keep watch rather then make a meal of the two. It seemed like the reasonable option in order to gain more substance. Having a live decoy always made things easy, unless… unless it had purposely been waiting for someone who'd come looking for them?

Leaping back down from the cliff with that thought in mind, the amber eyed figure knelt beside the two unconscious females before carefully drawing the young girl from the older one's arms. The little thing whined in protest, having not expected the contact she received as warm fur wrapped around her tiny frame. It made sense since she was freezing; her whole body was trembling from the chill of the nightly air.

Her eyes opened then, obviously having been stirred from her restless sleep. Brown met with gold when both pairs of eyes looked at one another. She seemed confused, her tired eyes blinking as she focused on the one in front of her.

"Lord Sesshomaru…?" she breathed a smile in her dry voice as she recognized her lord. "Welcome back."

The taiyoukai didn't respond, knowing she had no need for reassurances. Instead he decided to observe the child, starting from the top of her messy little head, to the bottom of her dirt covered feet as he inspected her injuries. They didn't seem as bad as he had thought them to be for a child in her condition. He had expected something much worse, perhaps even deadly, but nothing came close to what he imagined she had gone through.

At the very most, he figured she'd be dead by the time he had gotten to her, having been eaten or torn to shreds by the beast that had chased after her. It would've been the most likely thing to happen, however. He turned his sights to the unconscious being at his feet. It seems the child's fate wasn't meant to end, at least not yet.

He looked at Rin, and found her sound asleep as she curled into the warmth of his fur pelt. It seems she had a hard day, she was only human after all, and humans weren't capable of handling a wide amount of stress on the body like demons can. Having thought of that, he looked back at the other unconscious girl and wondered what he should do with her. She had been lying there in the same spot for hours from what he could tell, and it didn't look like she planned on moving any time soon.

The demon lord turned away from the miko, his gaze scanning over the area as he suddenly realized something. He hadn't noticed it before, but he had yet to see the halfwit anywhere, or anybody else in his pack for that matter. Hadn't they been together when the two had fallen into the river? Perhaps, but if they had indeed been together at the time, they would be here, wouldn't they? That may explain why blood had been left previously by the strange creature. It was injured, and no doubt Inuyasha had been the one to do it.

This brought him back to his thought from earlier as he looked back down at the miko. He had wondered on what to do with her, and now that he thought about it, he doubted Inuyasha would be able to find her with that putrid smell of blood in the air. It was much too dense to find anything, and a hanyou's dull senses wouldn't be capable of snuffing out the girl's scent even if he tried. She would be dead by the time he got there, especially with the temperature dropping as rapidly as it is, he could see himself breathing.

The little one shuddered in his arm as though to prove his point. It was beginning to get colder, and that meant nothing good for the unconscious miko. Her body already looked frozen, not to mention her breathing becoming shallow as she inhaled the cool night air, and that only meant one thing, she was beginning to die. It was not his problem however, and the taiyoukai took it upon himself to turn from the dying girl and take his business elsewhere. There was no need to linger there any longer; he had already come for what he was looking for, and the miko not being one of them.

As he turned to make his way, a soft mumbling of words caught the taiyoukai's attention before he stopped and looked at the bundle within his arm. A pained look came across the child's face as her tiny hands clasped themselves into the fur of his pelt. She was dreaming, though what type of dream he was uncertain, but it seemed to bring her a type of discomfort as she began to mumble out her words.

"Nn… Nee-san…" she said, her voice troubled. "Ss… Sesshomaru… sama… forget… don't forget… Nee-san!"

The taiyoukai looked at the miko before looking back at Rin. So it was that type of dream, was it? The child feared the loss of her friend? The demon lord closed his eyes. It seems he has no choice.

---

"LORD SESSHOMARU!!" cried Jaken's annoying little voice as he waddled his way to his master. "I've been searching _everywhere_ for you! Where have you been, mi'lord? Did you find Rin?"

The demon lord didn't respond, instead he merely walked passed Jaken and over to Ah-Un as he carefully laid a small bundle of fluff from his arm onto the dragon's saddle. The imp didn't understand this at first as he watched his lord. He couldn't quite figure out why he decided to remove his pelt, it wasn't normal for his lord to put down his family's heirloom.

Then realization struck him. It was Rin who was tucked away in that big ball of fur. He should've realized it before, but there were just so many scents within the air. His master's being one of them, and then this strange rotting smell, and something… something he can't quite put his finger on. What _is_ it?

That's when he spotted it. The most disgusting, most _repulsive_ thing he had ever seen!

"A human?!" he screeched irritably. "What's it doing out here?! "

He looked at his lord, hoping he'd be given the answer only to find that he'd been given the cold shoulder yet again. The imp sighed sadly before he turned and approached the lifeless looking human. It didn't seem to be moving, or breathing for that matter, and it looked as frozen as death. He shuddered at the thought, and as he got within a few steps distance, he decided he would see if this thing was alive.

Taking the staff of two heads in his hands, the little imp reached forward and began to prod the body for any signs of life.

_Poke…_

…Nothing.

_Poke…_

… Nothing again.

_Poooooke…_

SMACK!

"AGH!" cried Jaken as he was shoved face first into the gravel.

"If you value yourself, Jaken, you will stop with these childish games of yours," said the taiyoukai firmly as he walked over him and to the unconscious human. "Do not make this Sesshomaru repeat himself…"

The little imp twitched. "Y-yes, mi'lord," he mumbled, lifting his head from the dirt. "I-It won't happen again."

He looked up at his master, feeling somewhat ashamed for his actions. He never intended to be childish, only curious of the dead looking human. No harm had ever come to that, right? Besides, it was fun poking the vermin. It wasn't every day you find one lying in the middle of nowhere, especially unconscious ones that you can meddle with.

A snicker left the imps beak as he thought of this. '_If only they'd be like that every day,_' he mused, feeling better now that he found this somewhat amusing. Unfortunately though, all those feelings disappeared the moment he noticed his master lean forward and lift the human into his arm.

The imp blanched. _'D-did mi'lord just…?'_

"… Jaken."

The demon lord's voice caused the imp to jump, "Y-Yes, mi'lord?" he responded automatically.

Walking over to the double headed dragon, the taiyoukai simply glanced over at his servant. "Follow me…" he ordered and leapt up through the trees.

The little imp could only stare after his master before his common sense kicked in. '_I had best get to Rin_,' he thought as he got to his feet and made his way to Ah-Un. '_Mi'lord will be angry if I do not hurry.'_

With that thought in mind, the imp quickly made his way after his master and hoped that when he got there, he'd finally get some answers from the demon lord. All this thinking was giving him a headache, especially knowing his lord had a human that was not Rin. He sighed. What's this world coming to?

---

There weren't too many things Kagome remembered when she had fallen unconscious. In fact, there was very little she remembered that didn't include the giant demon that had been chasing her and Rin previously that day, or was it tomorrow? The fact being, she couldn't remember all of what happened after she had lost consciousness. For all she knew, she could be dead, but that was highly unlikely with the current feelings she was having at the moment, and that scared her.

Everything had been so cold before, but now as she regained consciousness everything seemed to be much warmer than it had been. Had she not been alone before? No, Rin was with her, or at least she thought she was with her. The heat that was radiating into her body certainly didn't feel like a child's, besides that, she was so small, and what she was feeling was really big compared to her. That just didn't make any sense to the miko unless somebody else had been there.

The miko gasped as she shot up from her sleeping position on the ground, an action that she soon regretted when a sharp pain shot through her head and ribs.

"Ow…" she said, placing an arm around her middle. She really hadn't been expecting _that_ when she got up.

"I suggest you keep still, miko…" She froze. "…unless you plan on injuring yourself even further?"

'_Oh gods..._' she thought, her eyes going wide. '_Please don't let that be who I think it is._'

Turning her head, Kagome knew her hopes were too good to be true. "S-Sesshomaru…" she said a bit surprised. "What… are you doing here?"

A silver brow rose as he stared at her through the shadow of the trees. "I believe this Sesshomaru should be asking _you_ that question, miko," he said. "Are you not the one in _my_ presence?"

Kagome tensed. "Uhh… yes?" she said, not exactly sure how to answer.

His eyes narrowed. "You are the only one here, miko," he said. "I see no other I need to address."

The raven haired girl looked around, not quite sure what he was talking about when she realized they were alone. She paused to think about that for a moment. '_Crap…_' she thought. '_This day just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?'_

A shuffling of fabric brought the girl's attention to the demon lord as he began to shift his leg to an arching position.

"Where's Rin?" she suddenly blurted before she quickly clasped her hand to her mouth.

The taiyoukai looked at the miko briefly. "She is safe," he said after a brief pause. "Jaken is with her."

A sigh of relief left the miko as she removed her hand. "Thank goodness," she mumbled. '_For a moment there, I thought the child was _gone.'

The demon lord stared as the miko turned her head toward the fire, her hand rubbing at her middle as the pain began to bother her. "…are you going to explain to this Sesshomaru why you are here, miko?" he said after a moments more of observation. "Or do you plan on sitting there all night until the fire burns out?"

Kagome looked up at him. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

The demon lord blinked. "Are you paying attention, wench?" he asked somewhat irritably. "This Sesshomaru will not repeat himself again."

She frowned. "Sorry, I didn't mean to have you repeat yourself."

He looked at her for a moment. "Very well, miko," he said closing his eyes. "… I will repeat myself so long as it doesn't happen again."

She nodded. "I promise."

"I want to know why you're here, miko," he said simply. "I want you to tell me why you saved the child."

Kagome stared. "You want me to tell you why I saved, Rin?" she repeated.

The taiyoukai narrowed his eyes. "… Yes."

The girl swallowed, a sheepish grin coming to her face. "Sorry, I just wanted to be sure," she said before turning her gaze to the ground.

After a few moments of silence, the demon lord began to think the miko was purposely trying to ignore his question. She hadn't said a word after she apologized, and it was beginning to get on his nerves. When he opened his mouth to speak, that's when she looked up at him.

---

(_flashback)_

"_It's right behind us, nee-san!" screamed the girl as she held tightly to the miko's neck._

_Kagome held the girl tightly. "Don't worry," she breathed, trying to go faster as the loud snarling from behind drew closer. "…we'll make it."_

_The child whimpered._

_Looking back, the miko checked to see just how far back the demon had been when its silhouette fell from the trees above. She screamed, veering away from their path and moving through a set of bushes. It was a painful move, but she had no other choice unless she really wanted to be squished. _

_A loud rumbling beneath their feet made the girl's gasp. "Hurry, nee-san!" shouted Rin, her little body trembling. "It's right there!"_

_Kagome swerved through the trees again, scratching herself in the process when everything was getting too hard to see. She had already come close to hitting a tree, and then twice, almost tripping over rocks and stumps that were sprawled out on the ground. Things were just becoming worse the further she went into the forest. But she had to at least try. The child's life was in danger, not to mention her own. _

_She had to be sure she got them out of there no matter what. If she didn't, the child's blood would be on her hands, and she would regret it even in death that she allowed her to die. This child deserved no suffering, and by the gods was she going to let this thing make it happen. She didn't do all this for nothing!_

"_NEE-CHAN!"_

_The miko gasped, watching as a huge set of paws skid in front of them before she came to halt. Rin screamed, her head burying deep within the older girl's chest. Kagome stepped back, realizing that she was nearly face to face with the demon. It snarled deeply, a very potent smell of saliva filling the air as it spilled to the floor. _

"_Oh no…" she said, her eyes growing wide like saucers. "This isn't good!"_

_The beast growled, its body twisting so that it faced them correctly as it trailed after Kagome's back step. She swallowed, "Stay away!" she warned. "I will hurt you if you come any closer!" _

_A deep rumbling from the demon's chest caused the miko to clench her teeth. Was it __**laughing**__ at her? What the hell? Did it honestly think she couldn't hurt it? '_Well… we'll just see about that_**,**__' she told herself as it advanced even closer to them. '_I'm not going to just let it laugh at me and get away with it, no way!'

_As it took another step closer, Kagome had bumped into a tree as she took her last couple of steps back. '_Great,_' she thought. '_Now what'll I do?'

_The miko looked around, her eyes scanning the area quickly for something to distract this demon. '_Ah!_' she said, her eyes finding a stick to the right of them. '_That's PERFECT!'

_She looked up at the demon, its eyes fully intent on her while she slowly began to shuffle her way to her target. '_Please work_' she told herself, hoping that it didn't know what she was doing. _

_The demon watched her carefully, its eyes assessing her every movement even as she began to lower herself to the ground and grab the stick. It growled warningly at her. She froze, and the child whimpered, holding her tighter. _

"_Now's my chance," she said as she rose to her feet, and threw the stick._

_Everything appeared to be normal at first, the demon getting angrier by the second until a bright pink glow illuminated the area around them. The beast snarled at this, its eyes closing from the burning of the purifying light. Kagome had hoped for this, knowing that she wouldn't have been able to even hit the demon with her powers before she made a run for it. It was the only option she could come up with at the time, but it was enough to delay the beast so that they could get away. _

_Kagome looked back. She hoped the demon couldn't catch up to them before they had a chance to get out in the opening where they could see. Unfortunately though, she knew that wasn't possible. That little bit of purifying powers would only last a couple of minutes, and hopefully they got far enough to where they could escape. _

"_Nee-chan…?" spoke Rin suddenly, as she looked up from the crook of her neck. _

_Kagome glanced at her. "What is it, Rin?" she panted, her lungs working on overdrive. _

"…_are we going to die?"_

_The miko's eyes widened. "What?!"_

_Rin looked down. "Are we going to die, nee-chan?"_

_Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Of course not!" she practically shouted. "What on earth would make you think that?!"_

_The girl bit her lip. "Sesshomaru-sama…"_

"_Sesshomaru?" repeated the miko, not exactly sure what she meant. "What about him?"_

_She shook her head. "Sesshomaru-sama still hasn't come," she said, her eyes brimming with tears. "… and Sesshomaru-sama __**always**__ comes for Rin. "_

_The miko frowned before she looked at Rin. "It'll be okay," she said, hoping she could comfort the girl. "Sesshomaru will come for you."_

"_Promise?" the girl said as she looked up at the older one. _

_Kagome smiled. "I promise."_

_Rin smiled as she sniffled her tears away before a loud roar erupted from behind them. '_It seems the light has disappeared,_' thought Kagome as she glanced behind her. '_Better hurry then_.'_

"_Nee-san, look!" said Rin as she pointed to the trees that began to spread out. "It's an opening!"_

_A wide grin spread across the miko's face. "Great job, Rin!" she said. "We're almost home free!"_

_That couldn't be farther from the truth, because as they broke through the trees where the moon shone bright overhead, a cliff was laid nicely at their feet as they came to a halt at its edge. Kagome gasped. "Oh no!" she groaned. "This can't be happening!"_

_Rin gasped, "Nee-san!"_

_A loud roar erupted from behind before they turned and faced the demon. The miko gasped. '_Is that… who I think it is?_' she asked herself as she stared at the giant figure before her. '_No way…it can't be, that's---!?!'

_The very large dog-like demon growled as its lip pulled back to reveal their shark-like teeth. _

_Kagome took a step back, holding Rin closer to her as the girl whined in fear. "Stay back…" she said, her body trembling as the wind blew up the cliff's top. The demon proceeded to move forward._

"_I'm warning you!" she shouted, though there was no truth behind those words._

_The demon knew this, and as he advanced closer, the miko took a step back; her feet touching the very edge. The child drew herself closer, her arms tightly wrapping around the older girl's neck. "Don't worry, Rin," she said. "I'll protect you."_

_As she said those words, the demon barked at her, its legs bending as it prepared to leap. In that moment, Kagome knew it was the end… _

_Both herself and Rin, fell to the river below._

(_End Flashback)_


End file.
